May the best man win
by detective-smartypants
Summary: Pregnant and lonely Melinda's Best friend Jim is getting married,and she is the best man. but the only problem is, she loves him, One shot.


**A/N: bored as hell, so i sat and rummaged through all my CDs and listened to many songs to come up with an Idea. Im not planning on updating any of my other stories for a while...maybe i will update broken but not fearless and the voice within, because i didn't even get one review on the chaps i recently put up...:( Anyway, hope you enjoy...blahblahblah. xox **

Melinda looked in the mirror and brushed her hand along her swollen tummy. "good morning baby" she whispered. She pulled on a white dress and pulled her hair up in a bobble. After putting on a little dark eye shadow and lip gloss, she picked up her bag and left the house, to go and meet her best friend, Jim.

She had to meet him so that he could make sure all the plans were set and Melinda knew all the plans for the following week, when he was getting married.

Melinda would never admit it, but being Jim's best man...or best woman rather, hurt her alot. She hated that she had to help him plan the wedding that she had always wanted to have with him. Jim knew everything about her. He was there when _he _had left her after she found out she was pregnant, he told her that he'd attend all the doctors appointments so that she wasn't alone. But she wanted more than that...she wished secretely that he was going to be there...all the time. She'd tried once to tell him that she loved him, but she stopped before she could say anything, knowing that it would break her if it ruined their friendship. She never wanted to lose what she had with Jim, it was perfect. They could spend hours just looking at pictures, laughing, chatting about things and telling each other _everything. _

Jim's fiance, Taylor was amazing, too. Melinda had become close to her over the years they'd known each other. They'd have nights out and and shopping trips. It hurt Melinda, knowing that she was keeping such a secret that could tear them apart...it could ruin everything.

So, thats why she had agreed to be Jim's best 'man', she had too much to lose.

The wedding they were having was like the wedding Melinda had always dreamed of. The ceremony outside at the beach in California, rose petals leading up to the minister, wher they'd say their vows. Then, they'd be taken back to the large party by a horse and carrage, thered be a big band playing swing music and it would be under the moonlight with the stars glimmering above. Their honeyoon was set for 2 weeks in cancun, mexico...beach, sun...-something that Melinda wanted to do badly with Jim- and just them two.

"so, what do you want to order?" the waiter asked Melinda, breaking her from her haze -she'd been staring at Jim, who was reading, for the past 10 minutes- "eh, umm...can i have a cheese and ham panini and a banana smoothie" she said, smiling at the waiter. "and you sir?" he asked "i'll have the lentil soup with a ham sandwhich and a coke, please". "so, Melinda. Have you decided on the teal or the purple dress yet?" Jim asked "uh, yeah i like the purple one, but i'm so worried its gonna be too warm with a dark dress and with the silk material...that just adds to it", Jim nodded "well, sorry but Taylor only gave me two choices of colours to go with the theme" he said "yeah, coz i know you Clancy, if it were up to you we'd all be wearing orange, with purple and pink flowers" she laughed "hey, i have got some colour co-ordination" he said defensivly "yeah, right" she laughed.

"so, whens the next sonogram?" he asked "eh, not till after the wedding, Drea said she'll come, since you'll be on your honeymoon" she said with a slight wink and a chuckly "okay then, so...what are you doing tonight?" "just gonna go over to the store and get some stuff done before i fly over to the hotel on thursday, what about you?" she asked "well, just gonna have a quiet night, i think i'll come over and help you with the store, since taylors already away I'm bored in the house" he laughed "you don't need to do that, why don't you meet up with Bobby or something you don't wanna waste your time with me cooped up in the store" "nah, i wanna".

After dinner, Melinda went home and had a nap before heading over to the store. At 7pm, Jim arrived, with a pizza and a bottle of coke "did someone order a pizza?" he asked, walking through the doors. "oh, hey" she said, marking off some stuff in a book "so, what do you need help with?" he asked "inventory, I dont want to be too far behind when i get back" she said. "first, you eat" he said, placing the pizza box on the desk and moving the papers away "full of anchovies on your side...since you're strange that way" he laughed "heyhey, you are the weird one, plain pizza is just _wrong_" she laughed, taking a large piece of pizza and munching on it while glancing at Jim "so, anything good on tv today?" he asked "i don't know, i was pretty tired, so i went home and went for a nap, but i do hear that One tree Hill will be starting up soon, not that you'd care about that" she laughed "top gear's better". "hey, don't go all macho, mister, i saw tears when we watched that episode of 90210 the other day", Jim's face went red "it was a bit of dust in my eye" "yeah right" Melinda said, rolling her eyes.

After finishing off the pizza and the inventory, Melinda looked at the clock "gosh, its 11, where did the time go...flies when you're having a good time, i guess" she laughed "okay, can I kip at yours tonight? we can watch a movie, you seem lonely there alone" he said "okay, let me close up and i'll drive us over " she said, smiling. She loved it when Jim came over and stayed, theyd watch movies and before the knew it, it would be morning, they'd cook up a large breakfast and lounge around in pyjamas all day. "so, you excited?" Melinda asked as they drove along the dark road "you have no idea" he said "i do, i see that smile on your face". "how you been dealing with stuff lately?" he asked "what...i'm fine, i haven't got anything to deal with" "mel". She loved it when he called her that, it made her feel special, "hey, i'm fine, me and baba are perfectly happy, and don't you worry about me Jim, theres nothig wrong with me" she lied. Truth was that she was scared about everything, being alone...not being a good mother, not having Jim. "okay, but you better not be lying, i don't want you to be sad, i don;t want you to stress when you don't need to" "im fine, promise" she smiled. They pulled into the driveway of Melinda's house. It was quite big, she'd bought it with her ex-boyfriend Paul, then he left her in the empty house alone and pregnant. She could never forgive him. It hurt her to walk through the door alone every night, it felt empty and lonely in there.

"what movie first?" Melinda asked Jim, who was sitting on the couch "how about...Jumper?" he asked "nah, watched it last night...I know what you did last summer?" she suggested "nope, don't really like it...The unborn?" he asked "hate it, boring...Made of honour?" "okay then, never seen it" Jim agreed. She put the DVD in and sat on the sofa next to Jim, with a seat between them. 20 minutes into the film Jim turned to say something to Melinda, only to find she was fast asleep. He shook her shoulder and said her name gently "Melinda, wake up", she opened her eyes and sat up "go to bed" he said "nah, i'm awake now" she mumbled sleepily "you're exhausted" he laughed "no, i swear i'm fine, i'm awake" she said "okay" he laughed "you want something to eat?" she asked "sure, i'll go-" "no i-i'll go" she said, rubbing her eyes "Melinda, are you okay? you're looking a bit pale" he asked "mhm" she nodded, She stood up and as soon as she got to her feet, her knees went weak and Jim cought her as she started to fall "Melinda!" he sat her down on the couch "god, are you okay?" he asked worredly, his paramedic mind was now set "Jim, i-m fine, Ju...just a little dizzy" she whispered "i think you should maybe go to hospital" he said quickly "no, i'm really okay, i'll just get some sleep, don't worry" she said, "okay, let me help you up to bed" he said, placing an arm around her as she leaned on him for support. He put her in bed and pulled the covers over her "night mel" he said, turning off her light and going into the spare bedroom.

Jim couldn't sleep an inch with worry about Melinda. He woke up at 8am and made her some toast and Jam then took it up to the room on a tray. "morning" she said quietly, still laying in bed "how you feeling?" he asked "fine, gonna get up soon and go shopping" she said "well, if you're sure, let me feel your head" he said, sitting on the bed and facing Melinda. He placed a gentle hand on her forehead and let it rest there for a couple of seconds staring into Melinda's eyes. Then, somethiing happned. There was a spark, between both of him, he didn't look away, he just stared into her eyes. It was like he had just realised something, without thinking about what he was doing, he let his hand brush down to her cheek and he cupped it with his palm, then it happened. He slowly drew his head nearer to Melinda's and gently let his lips touch hers, both their eyes closed as the sparks of electricity flew around them, he rubbed his tongue along her bottom lip, seeking entrance and was surprised when she parted her lips and allowed him to kiss her deeper, one of his hands rubbed up and down her waist and the other was tangled in her hair, while their tongues danced. Suddenly before it could go any further, he pulled back and looked at Melinda with a pained Expression "oh god...I-I'm...s-sorry, i got to go" he said, Jumping up and leaving quickly.

Melinda gently touched her lips and let out a long breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realised what she'd just done. _I've ruied it, I've lost him. _She thought as tears fell down her cheeks. She lay down on the bed and cried. Later that day, she'd fallen asleep and was awoken by her cell ringing. _Jim. _She ignored it, too ashamed to talk to him. She knew she couldn't go to the wedding now, she couldn't watch him be married feeling more in love with him than ever.

After 5 missed calls from Jim, she decided to answer...so she could tell him she wouldn't be there for the wedding. "hey" he said shyley "hey" "listen, i'm sorry, i shouldn't have did that, I...hope it hasn't ruined our friendship" he said softly "Jim, I can't...can't come to the wedding Jim, i just...can't" she said "Mel, you need to, please" he begged "no, I'm sorry, i just can't do this" she cried, hanging up the phone.

The next couple of days were hard, Jim wouldn't stop calling her, texting her, he even came round to the house, but she just didn't want to face him. She had told Andrea everything. All andrea could do was comfort her as she cried. She felt like shed completely lost her best friend.

The day that Melinda was supposed to be flying out with Jim came and she was feeling really under the weather, but she decided to go to the store and keep her mind off of everything.

Her flight was booked for 4pm and she knew Jim would be heading off to the airport any time soon. At 11am, she was going through some new deliveries when she heard someone coming through the door "Melinda" she heard his voice and turned around "you need to go to the airport soon, Jim" she said "Melinda, please listen to me" he said "what?" she asked "please be my best man, i can't do this without you, you're my best friend" "I-I just can't Jim, then we'd be just lying to everyone, Jim...you just kissed me, you cant expect me to stand there and watch you getting married knowing that we're lying to her...that you did that behind her back" "Mel, i'm going to tell her" he said "didn't...didn't it mean anything to you?" she asked. He shook his head "no, Melinda we...we're best friends, we're just best friends" he said shakily "okay" she said, looking down at her feet "are you coming?" he asked "no".

He left the store and Melinda sat down at the desk, ten minutes later Andrea came into the store "hey Me-...Whats wrong?" she asked worredly "he's going and i'm here, i've lost him" she cried, hugging Andrea close "hey...Melinda, what did you feel when you kissed him?" she asked "drea, i love him...I-I really love him, i have forever but he doesnt feel the same way" she cried "i'm not sure thats entirely true, you think that if he didn't love you he'd have even kissed you? because i gotta tell you, i've seen the way he's looked at you at times and its not a best friend kinda look, i say you gotta go to that wedding and tell him properly how you feel" "really?" Melinda whispered "yeah, really, get a flight out tonight" she said. Melinda nodded, "I'm gonna do this" she smiled.

Melinda managed to get a flight for 3am, she got a small case and went to the airport with Andrea, who watched her get on the plane. When she arrived there, she went to the hotel and lay down, wondering when and how she was going to do this, knowing that the next day was the wedding.

When she woke up, she showered and got dressed. It was the rehersal dinner and she knew everyone would be there. She was wearing a black loose top and a pair of black trousers, she curled her hair and put on a little make up then went to the restaurant where everyone was gathered and bumped into Taylor outside "oh Melinda, what are you doing here?" she asked, giving her a hug "Jim says you were feeling too sick to come over, are you feeling better?" she asked. Melinda nodded "i'm feeling alot better" she smiled "could you get me Jim, i need to tell him something" Melinda asked, "okay" she said, leaving Melinda outside.

Jim came out and looked at Melinda and smiled "you're here" he said happily "Jim, i need to talk to you, and I know it isnt the right time, but I just cant lie anymore" she said "what is it?" he asked "Jim...i love you, i have for a long time, i really love you and i knew that if i told you it would ruin everything, but you kissed me and I-I felt so much, I-..." "what? why would you...why would you tell me this right now, the night before my wedding, what would you expect me to do with this? what am I supposed to say? Melinda, i love Taylor, you know how much i love her" he said "I-I know but...I mean...I uh...I've known you for so long, I've h-hid it fro...from you and I just couldn't lie anymore" she said shakily "Melinda, i think...think you should go home" he said, turning his back to her and starting to walk back into the room full of people. She started to follow him, but she got confused, her head hurt and the room started spinning, she felt someone touch her shoulder and turned around to see Taylor "Melinda, are you okay?" she asked "i-...uh" was all she could get out, The room spun more violently and her head was burning "no" she whispered shakily. "Jim!" Taylor called, when Melinda started to fall, she tried to catch her but she was already on the floor. "oh god, Melinda, what happened to her?" he asked, feeling for a pulse "I-I don't know, I saw her, she looked pale and she was swaying and then..then she just fell" Taylor rushed "okay, I need someone to call 911 and someone else go and get me a wet towel please" he rushed as he felt Melinda's burning forehead. "Melinda, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes please" he called, shaking her shoulder "come on Melinda, open your eyes, wake up please" he said worredly. Suddenly, she started to breathe heavily and her body started to tremble and shake. Jim held her as she seized "god" he said. Two paramedics came running into the room "what happened?" one of them asked "she collapsed, she's burning up and she's had a seizure" Jim rushed "okay, we're gonna need an oxygen mask and a gurney here, now" one of them said "okay" the other said, running out to the ambulance.

Jim stood watching as she got wheeled away and wondered...was he lying? did he love her...maybe it took this to happen for him to actully realise what he felt for her.

He got to the hospital in no time and rushed to find a doctor, who told him to wait outside. 30 minutes passed and a doctor allowed him into Melinda's room. She had an IV in her left arm and an thin tube in her nose passing oxygen through it. Her eyes were closed, so Jim walked over to her side and took her hand "Melinda, I am not sure if you can hear me right now...but here's the thing, i told you to leave not because i don't like you but because i was scared...i think you're the bext thing thats ever came my way, you've showed me love and kindness, opened my eyes up to so many possibilities and I guess i've always felt something in the back of my mind, but I never actually realised it till now, Melinda i do like you...i don't like you...i love you, I want you" he said, he looked down to his feet "i want you too Jim, I hate being without you" she whispered "you're awake" he smiled "do you know what's wrong with me?" she asked "you're okay, it was Pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure" he said "the baby's okay?" she asked "fit as a fiddle" he laughed "aren't you supposed to be with your fiance right now?" she aske weakly "no, I want to be here, with you...forever" he whispered.

**2 years later. **

"mummy, daddy can we go to the park?" little payton asked Melinda and Jim who were eating at the dinner table "sure baby girl, course we can" Melinda smiled, then turned round and kissed Jim "hey, i want a cuddle" Payton said, Jim picked her up and cuddled her tight "hey, your gonna squish me" she laughed "sorry baby" he said, kissing her on the cheek. "lets go" Melinda said, pulling on her jacket and kissing the both.

"you are the best mummy and daddy ever" Payton giggled and hugged them tight. "and you're the best daughter" they both said.

**PLEASE review xD**


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